Saturday, May 31, 2014

Squirrel in Wire

I did this wire sculpture a while ago, it is based on the design of Sleeping Beauty’s Squirrel.

This time I tried to be very simple and economical with the line work. I pictured the moment in the movie when the squirrel expresses sadness but also sympathy for Aurora, who dreams of falling in love. The sculpt (or 3D drawing) is just over 5,5” tall.

Disney characters lend themselves to wire sculpting, because their design is always linear. It's fun to leave out as much as possible, so your eye adds volume and detail. You want to challenge the viewer a little.

Now I need to return the squirrel to its rightful owner. So, Dan, if you are reading this, I’ll drop it off at the studio next week. Sorry it took me so long to get it back to you.

For those who are new to the blog, here are a couple of links to other Disney characters in wire:

Really an unexpected and unique work. Though it is so simple, you truly captured the likeness of the character. As a child I really loved the squirrels from Sleeping Beauty and Sword in the Stone. The 60's and the 70's were my favorite Disney period back then. Loved the stories and designs

I actually use several pieces of wire with different lengths. To connect them I just twist them together. I always start out with a few sketches to explore the pose before I jump in.It takes a little getting used to the springy wire, but it gets easier with time. Thin steel wire is actually easy to re-bend and alter.

Yes, of course, the film! Can't wait! Would be awesome to see some characters from the new film.Oh, no, sorry... I mean, do you run electricity through the finished art pieces to keep their shape, like they do with metal bed springs.